You may not be aware, but July 18 was named Nelson Mandela International Day by the United Nations in 2009. For those who may not know, the significance of Nelson Mandela is monumental. I will do my best to do the man and his accomplishments justice.
Nelson Mandela was named Rolihlahla Mandela at birth on July 18 1918 in Mvezo South Africa. His name means "puller of branch" or "troublemaker." He was born to royalty, a human rights activist, prisoner of conscience and the first President of South Africa elected in a free and fully representative election in 1994.
Those accomplishments are pretty impressive but they merely scratch the surface. When my children left for school in the morning, or any occasion, I would tell them "You're the Best. Change the world." They more than succeeded. I don't know if Nelson Mandela's parents said anything similar, but there is no denying that he changed everything for an entire country and beyond.
In 1950s he was elected Youth Leader of the African National Congress (ANC). This is an organization dedicated the dismantling of Apartheid, meaning "apartness" in Africaans. It was the racist South African political system that oppressed more than 3/4 of the population.
During this time, he studied law at the University Witwatersrand, afterwards he opened the first Black law firm in Johannesburg.
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."
This is not just something Mandela said, he lived it.
In 1960, the PAC, a splinter group of the ANC, organized a country wide peaceful protest where Black South Africans were encouraged to surrender their pass books, and invite arrest for doing so. These pass books limited travel and access to areas of South Africa to Black South Africans. 20 000 gathered in Sharpeville, 50 kilometres outside Johannesburg. According to police, some demonstrators threw rocks at armoured vehicles. In response, the police opened fire with machine guns, killing 69 and wounding at least 180, including women and children.
Because of this violent reaction to a peaceful protest and the South African Government declaring the ANC and PAC illegal, Mandela was moved to more desperate measures. He organized a secret military movement. In 1962, he was arrested and imprisoned for treason and conspiracy.
He was first imprisoned to Robben Island, 7 miles of the coast of Capetown. He was transferred to other prisons and spent his final years of imprisonment in Victor Vestor near the city of Pearl. Mandela was in prison for 27 years, but during that time he was a symbol behind whom the oppressed fighting for human rights rallied.
On February 11 1990, FW De Klerk, the President of South African, released Nelson Mandela and made ANC no longer illegal. In 1993 Nelson Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize with De Klerk for a (relatively) peaceful transition to democracy. In 1994, Nelson Mandela was elected President of South Africa in the first truly representative election.
As President, Mandela became the Father of Modern South Africa by tearing down an oppressive government and laying a foundation for true democracy. Mandela believed in forgiveness not revenge which tempered anger among Black South Africans. In 1996, Mandela signed a new South African Constitution in Sharpeville as a commemoration to the tragic events of 1960.
"Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon."
In 1999, Nelson Mandela retired as President and created The Nelson Mandela Foundation which worked to improve social conditions in South Africa, including taking action to combat the spread of AIDS.
This post has become a bit of a history lesson, but I hope I can make my point clear. One person can change the world. We are not meant to be Nelson Mandela; only he was destined to walk his path. But it does not mean that our path is any less significant. Changing the world does not require monument worthy actions. Smiling at people can change a person's day. Saying please and thank you does not just mean that you know manners, but you are teaching manners to others. Send a note to a friend with whom you have not spoken in a while. The smallest actions can make the biggest difference to another person and then, pass it on.
www.apartheidmuseum.org
www.dosomething.org
www.news18.com
www.natgeokids.org
www.britannica.com
www.biography.yourdictionary.com
www.humanrights.ca
